In a cutting operation, such as, for example, a grooving operation, a grooving or cutting insert engages a workpiece to remove material from the workpiece. In some cutting assemblies, an upper seat and a lower seat retain the cutting insert.
Material removal operations can generate heat at the interface between the cutting insert and the workpiece. Typically, it is advantageous to provide coolant to the vicinity of the interface between the cutting insert and the workpiece.
Even though conventional arrangements deliver coolant, it remains highly desirable to provide a tool holder that delivers coolant in an efficient fashion to the interface between the cutting insert and the workpiece. This is especially true for a cutting operation in which the cutting insert engages the workpiece surface at the outside diameter (i.e., outside workpiece surface) for cutting a groove. During the cutting operation, as the depth of the groove increases, the difficulty connected with coolant delivery to the cutting insert-workpiece interface increases. As can be appreciated, it would very beneficial to provide a tool holder that delivers coolant to the cutting insert-workpiece interface even as the depth of the groove increases during the cutting operation.